Plays Live - Misplaced Pages

1983 live album by Peter Gabriel

Plays Live

Live album by Peter Gabriel

Released

6 June 1983

Recorded

November–December 1982, United States
1983, Bath, England

Genre

Art rock

Length

89:53 (original version)
66:50 (highlights version)

Label

Geffen (US & Canada), Charisma

Producer

Peter Gabriel, Peter Walsh

Peter Gabriel chronology

Peter Gabriel
(1982)

Plays Live
(1983)

Birdy
(1985)

Singles from Plays Live

"I Don't Remember"
Released: June 1983 (UK)
"I Go Swimming" / "Solsbury Hill"
Released: July 1983

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Rolling Stone

Plays Live is the first live and fifth album overall by English rock musician Peter Gabriel. It was originally issued as a double album and long-play cassette in 1983, with sixteen songs. It was re-released in 1985, as a single CD called Plays Live (Highlights) with only twelve songs, some of which are edited so the album fits on a single disc. It was rereleased in its entirety as a double CD set in 1987. In 2002, a remaster of the Highlights version was issued. In 2019, the complete double-LP version was released on streaming platforms for the first time.

In 2021 the original 2CD version was released in remastered form. The sound recordings copyright (p) date featured on the back of the package suggests this had actually been remastered at the same time as the rest of Gabriel's back catalogue in 2002.

Armando Gallo took the cover photograph. "I was always listening to the music when I photographed a concert," he said. "Somehow my index finger pressed the clicker in time with the lights and the percussion - the heart of the music. I always felt grateful that I could shoot Peter’s entire shows. Once I asked Peter if he didn’t mind me being in the pit photographing his every move. 'No, I love to see a friendly face,' he answered. Making me feel good about it."

Recordings

The songs for "Plays Live" were recorded at the following venues:

Braden Auditorium, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, 3 December 1982
Memorial Hall, Kansas City, Kansas, 4 December 1982
Chick Evans Field House, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, 6 December 1982
SIU Arena, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, 7 December 1982

Liner notes by "the producers" admit, "Although this album was compiled from four concerts in the mid-West of the United States, some additional recording took place not a thousand miles away from the home of the artist. The generic term for this process is 'cheating'. Care has been taken to keep the essence of the gigs intact, including 'human imperfection'."

Singles and promotion

"I Don't Remember" was issued as a single, with an accompanying music video, in the UK only.

In the US and Canada, "Solsbury Hill" was released as a single from Plays Live with "I Go Swimming" on the B-side. This previously unreleased song received airplay and made the US Mainstream Rock charts in 1983. It was initially recorded for Gabriel's third album and was performed on his 1980 tour.

In several European countries, "I Go Swimming" was the A-side.

A live version of "Kiss of Life" from the 1982 tour appeared as the B-side of "Solsbury Hill" in The Netherlands. It was never included in any version of Plays Live although it was included in Gabriel's 2019 compilation Flotsam and Jetsam.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Peter Gabriel.

Side one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Rhythm of the Heat"	6:26
2.	"I Have the Touch"	5:18
3.	"Not One of Us"	5:29
4.	"Family Snapshot"	4:44

Side two
No.	Title	Length
5.	"D.I.Y."	4:20
6.	"The Family and the Fishing Net"	7:22
7.	"Intruder"	5:03
8.	"I Go Swimming"	4:44

Side three
No.	Title	Length
9.	"San Jacinto"	8:27
10.	"Solsbury Hill"	4:42
11.	"No Self Control"	5:03
12.	"I Don't Remember"	4:19

Side four
No.	Title	Length
13.	"Shock the Monkey"	7:10
14.	"Humdrum"	4:23
15.	"On the Air"	5:22
16.	"Biko"	7:01
Total length:		89:53

*Plays Live (Highlights)*
No.	Title	Length
1.	"I Have the Touch"	4:47
2.	"Family Snapshot"	4:44
3.	"D.I.Y."	4:05
4.	"The Family and the Fishing Net"	7:38
5.	"I Go Swimming"	4:54
6.	"San Jacinto"	8:19
7.	"Solsbury Hill"	4:41
8.	"No Self Control"	5:04
9.	"I Don't Remember"	4:12
10.	"Shock the Monkey"	7:10
11.	"Humdrum"	4:21
12.	"Biko"	6:52
Total length:		66:50

Personnel

Peter Gabriel – lead vocals, piano, synthesizers
Jerry Marotta – drums, percussion, backing vocals
Tony Levin – bass guitar, chapman stick, backing vocals
David Rhodes – guitars, backing vocals
Larry Fast – synthesizers, piano, keyboards
Peter Walsh – editing, mixing, "cheating"
Greg Fulginiti – mastering

Charts

Chart (1983)	Peak position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)	55
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)	18
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)	21
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)	40
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)	25
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)	31
UK Albums (OCC)	8
US Billboard 200	44

Chart (2021)	Peak position
Scottish Albums (OCC)	23

References

"Plays Live".
"Peter Gabriel singles".
Eder, Bruce (2011). "Plays Live – Peter Gabriel | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
Fricke, David (1 September 1983). "Plays Live". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
petergabriel.com subscribers' email, 12 October 2020
Capital Radio interview with Nicky Horne, broadcast 16 March 1980; transcribed in Gabriel fanzine White Shadow (#1, pp10) by editor Fred Tomsett
Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 120. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
"Top RPM Albums: Issue 6303a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
"Dutchcharts.nl – Peter Gabriel – Plays Live" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
"Offiziellecharts.de – Peter Gabriel – Plays Live" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
"Charts.nz – Peter Gabriel – Plays Live". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
"Swedishcharts.com – Peter Gabriel – Plays Live". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
"Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
"Peter Gabriel Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
"Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 20, 2024.

External links

v t e Peter Gabriel
Studio albums	Peter Gabriel (Car) Peter Gabriel (Scratch) Peter Gabriel (Melt) Peter Gabriel (Security) So Us Up Scratch My Back New Blood I/O
Live albums	Plays Live Plays Live Highlights Secret World Live Live Blood Back to Front: Live in London Growing Up Live
Singles	"Solsbury Hill" "Modern Love" "D.I.Y." "Games Without Frontiers" "No Self Control" "Biko" "I Don't Remember" "Shock the Monkey" "I Have the Touch" "Wallflower" "Sledgehammer" "In Your Eyes" "Don't Give Up" "Big Time" "Red Rain" "Shaking the Tree" "Digging in the Dirt" "Steam" "Blood of Eden" "Kiss That Frog" "While the Earth Sleeps" "When You're Falling" "The Barry Williams Show" "More Than This" "Growing Up "Burn You Up, Burn You Down" "Darkness" "Down to Earth" "Panopticom" "The Court" "Playing for Time" "I/O" "Four Kinds of Horses" "Road to Joy" "So Much" "Olive Tree" "Love Can Heal" "This Is Home" "And Still" "Live and Let Live"
Songs	"Here Comes the Flood" "On the Air" "Intruder" "Family Snapshot" "The Rhythm of the Heat" "San Jacinto" "That Voice Again" "Mercy Street" "We Do What We're Told (Milgram's 37)" "This is the Picture (Excellent Birds)" "Come Talk to Me" "Secret World" "Sky Blue"
Soundtracks	Birdy Passion OVO Long Walk Home
Compilations	Shaking the Tree: Sixteen Golden Greats Revisited Hit Rated PG Flotsam and Jetsam
Concert tours	Secret World Tour Back to Front Tour i/o The Tour
Films	Secret World Live Growing Up: Live Still Growing Up: Live & Unwrapped
Video games	Xplora1: Peter Gabriel's Secret World Eve Myst IV: Revelation
Other	Discography Genesis WOMAD Passion – Sources The Story of OVO Millennium Dome Show Play: The Videos Big Blue Ball And I'll Scratch Yours Real World Records Real World Studios Solid State Logic (SSL)
Peter Gabriel discography

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